Argentina's swarming fan base does its part in come-from-behind thriller over England

ATLANTA — They took over Underground Atlanta section of the city on Tuesday night, just like they took over Piedmont Park on an earlier trip to Atlanta a few weeks back. They took over parts of Kansas City, Miami and Dallas in the last month. And now, members of the overwhelming Argentinian fan base will head to New York for the World Cup final against Spain.

Argentina’s dramatic 2-1 win over England rewarded the thousands of blue-and-white clad fanatics who swarmed Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday. It was 90-10 outside the building before the match, and it was just about that when it came to the noise inside the building, though the fan split was much closer to 50-50.

The vocal support started with the drowning out of God Save the King during the national anthems, and continued long after the final whistle that ended yet another Argentina thriller. A boring 0-0 first half, and we do mean boring, did not dampen the spirits. A sudden England goal by Anthony Gordon in the 55th minute stunned the blue-and-white supporters, but then Argentina launched a thorough, consistent, unrelenting attack toward the majority of its fan base for the remainder of the game. It was like a magnet pulling Lionel Messi and his mates forward, and the scoring chances soon followed.

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Picture the student section at Cameron Indoor Stadium, crossed with an LSU night game and the intensity of Michigan-Ohio State, and make it bigger, louder and more colorful. This is what England was defending in front of for the final 30-plus minutes, and no hydration break was going to slow the onslaught.

"The (Argentine) support is outstanding," England manager Thomas Tuchel said. "It really felt almost like an away game, of course. But we knew that."

In the 75th minute, Argentina hit the post. In the 77th minute, a header rolled just wide. And then in the 85th minute, after Messi drew multiple defenders, Enzo Fernandez sent a pass from the GOAT into the back of the net and the noise-cancelling headphones I was wearing no longer functioned.

Argentina’s momentum continued, and Messi earned his second assist two minutes into stoppage time, and the true celebration was only moments away. It was, amazingly, their 11th and 12th goals after the 75th minute in this World Cup.

"I believe this team plays its best when facing adversity," Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni said in the postmatch press conference. "When we’re up against it and the opponent wavers just a little — that’s when we show our hunger."

After the match, the players were in no hurry to leave the pitch. Several removed their shirts, matching plenty in the crowd who also went tarps off. There was singing, dancing, chanting and celebrating. The English players lingered at the other end of the pitch, trying to thank their devastated supporters, who will add at least four more years to their 60-year wait of seeing another World Cup final. No one seemed in a hurry to leave. England-Argentina, at least after halftime, had delivered again. This game, this scene, earned its place in this heated and historic trans-Atlantic rivalry.

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Argentina’s ultimate goal still lies ahead. Spain awaits as the likely favorite Sunday to deny Argentina back-to-back World Cups. To earn its own second World Cup title, however, Spain will need to overcome not only Messi and a team that seems to always play its best when its best is needed, but a fan base in blue that will be there in full force.